Then Let the Future Begin
by Cyber Keiko
Summary: More happens than meets the eye in the yut in Hokkan between Nakago and Miaka. Bonds are formed, broken and reshaped. Vows are made, forgotten, embraced. The future and the past collide, and destiny is set in motion.
1. Let the Future Begin

Then Let It Begin by Cyber Keiko

Every time we meet you try to kill me, but something always stops you.

Whether it is Yui, or my Seishi, something always prevents you from fully harming me. Sometimes I think it is the minuscule sense of right and wrong you have left. Maybe.

I don't know your past, but I feel the pain, it has marked you well and deep. I feel you... the emotions you bottle fiercely inside you, your forced numbness barely hiding the ever-widening cracks about to explode. I feel you looking at yourself, your sullied body, your torn heart in such deep grief and wretchedness, your eternal search for vengeance feeding the hatred, in a desperate search.

A search for redemption, for forgiveness that will never come.

Your scars so marked, are etched in your darkened soul with death and blood, never to wash out.

I feel them as if they were my own.

This day in Hokkan; it has changed everything.

I am supposed to resist you. I am supposed to think of Tamahome and fight you tooth and nail, even though it was my idea – fueled by my own desperation.

Yet I am so near you. Even though you irradiate contempt and victory, I feel you calling for me, our hearts, our souls, hidden in the materialistic pull of our mortal flesh, so often interfering with the immortal matters of the eternal.

The torn and bloodied temple of your body feels like home. Your kiss, which I know you want to be punishing, demanding submission, feels like the most delicious electric shock. Heating and arousing me, every stroke of your tongue taking me deeper into your beautiful darkness. The worlds align, and for a moment, my entire being feels as if I have found the other half of my soul...

But Suzaku intervened. I have been brought to this world for a purpose, and he is making sure that I fulfill it. Oh, he is indeed.

Trying, I mean.

The wave of wrongness Suzaku has sent through my soul tore me away from my amazing yet horrifying discovery, from you. The agony of the rupture is excruciating. The bond breaks in a swift twisting jerk that makes me scream and lash out. A stab to the heart could not have hurt more. Actually, it doesn't.

Your eyes tell me that you know; you were feeling it too. Yet you use the pain to break away completely, your beautiful blue eyes hardening, trying to dispel the enchantment that has brought us together for several endless seconds...

"No!" I scream, unable to bear it. I struggle to grasp you, to bind myself to you through the surety of touch, to wipe away the trail of blood I have spilt.

"What are you doing?" For a fraction of a second your eyes give away your same need, and then it is gone. Your eyes freeze as a flare of powerful aura slamms me to the floor, then to the far wall. The impact against the unforgiving wall vibrates all over my body, bruising and weakening me, until all that is holding me up is your power.

I see you strutting towards me, and even through my pain, my traitorous mind can't help but notice the view given to me by your lack of clothing. A light white cotton shirt barely covers your broad torso, following the contours of your body with enough give to flutter sensuously against your skin in soft waves, incited by the wind of your own power. I love the way it leaves your chest bare, showing the pale chiseled muscles against which the Shinzaho now rested upon. For a split second, a vision of my tongue tracing the contours of your muscles flashes in my head, and I blush deeply, ashamed at my lack of control.

Your smile is wicked.

Your life force is surrounding me, drowning me, dominating me, and my fear suddenly overwhelms my desire. Suzaku has intervened again. Now all I can think about is how this is not the way it is supposed to happen, there is something else, yet the moment has passed. Evil is possessing you suddenly, completely; it gains strength as it tarnishes the silver blue of your eyes.

My fear is complete. There will be sin here, and the ghost of the connection that our souls have managed to salvage will shatter as you commit the one crime you, of all people, should never do. But what hurts the most is your manipulation. Those I love have been mere playthings to your machinations. My best friend, who I consider the sister of my soul, is sinking into the same hate that consumes you.

As you tear my clothing, bruise my flesh with the grasp of your hands, the beatings of your power, I cannot help but think of what could've been, for us. There are so many what ifs, so many unconscious unsaid, undone things. What if I had been your Priestess? Could I have saved you then?

Wishes, dreams and hopes have been trampled on the magnanimous feet of the greedy and powerful, of the tarnished and veiled evil that lurks in the shadows of the unsuspecting. I am trying to fight you off, to make you see, and even as my attempts secretly impress you – I can tell – I am but like an ant against an elephant, small and weak, and you overpower me. I explode into the black.

This must be oblivion; the eternal oppressing darkness, vulgarly subjugating my soul with the corrosion of helplessness, desperation and shame. Consciousness has fled, and all that is left is the shadowed id, where fears lurk and the reality of it all settles in. This must be how you feel. You fight it while waking, but it chokes your very breath in sleep, in dreams. It allows you no rest. You must truly have not slept in more than a decade, I imagine. I wonder what you truly wait for, what you really want…

We are meant for great things, you and me. I can feel it in my soul. And as I wait for our bond to dissipate at the first breach of your battering ram, I feel Suzaku again, slowing you down stopping you. And you don't fight back.

I feel your hesitation, and I feel your resolve. But most of all, I feel your relief. You didn't want this, not really. Especially not know, even with the darkness choking your honor, your being, I feel the bond, frail and brittle, so weak, yet your subconscious holds our secret well. It waits. It is waiting, just like me.

And then I understand.

This is not the time. There is too much pain. You are too broken. I am far from ready.

The hate continues multiplying exponentially, swallowing your mind, making you revel in the fact that the damage is done, even if it isn't real. You know well the power of the mind; the power of belief. Your soul flickers then settles.

It seems that not all of it is lost. There is that small speck of light against the void.

Yet, now is not our time. But the time will come. My conscious mind will forget all that I have felt this night, all I have thought, as you have also cast your thoughts and feelings of this day into the pit of oblivion to never dwell upon them again. But I promise you: redemption will come to you. Death will not be your eternal punishment or your coffin; you will be free. We will all be free. Whether I will be part of the lives my wishes will touch, it is yet to be seen. For I will make my wishes, of that you can be sure.

After all, I will win this war.

I have to. We all depend on it.

I will win. I will do it for you, for your Seishi, for mine, for Yui, for me. For all who have suffered and been trapped by this spellbound book. For all the sham that used to be true. For a two-dimensional world that used to be three, that used to be real until it all fell apart. I will not remember all this when I wake, when I tremble and stand aghast at your wickedness, when I shatter at the shambled look in the eyes of the man I love. The desire to fulfill what I have vowed will remain, and it will guide me to the end. I will not fail.

I will win. For in your defeat, this entire world shall be truly victorious.

Let then the future begin.

A/N: I've had the first half of this in my computer for ages, together with all my abandoned yet not forgotten Fan Fics. I haven't written anything in so long, I was truly shocked I finished this tonight. I'm in shock, I tell you. I'm so tired I have double vision, so let me know what you think: love it, hate it, confused by it. Reviews and/or favorites will motivate me. Constructive criticism will be manna from the sky. Let's see if I can get this series off the ground. After all, the future must begin!


	2. Let Destiny Be Foretold

**WARNING: Mature content. Not explicit, though.**

Imperial Palace, Kutou-koku

Three days after the summoning of Seiryuu.

Nakago strode down the hallways of the Kutou palace, hyper alert of his surroundings yet his mind was running at full speed. _'Everything is going according to plan. Yui-sama is recovering well from the first wish and the Suzaku mongrels are no longer a threat. Let Konan's army amass in hopes of stopping mine, it will be in vain. After all, they are weak and they no longer have their warriors to help them.'_

All the pieces were falling into place, his plan for vengeance soon to be come to fruition. The world would be his for the taking and he would extract payment for the wrongs committed against him. He smirked in satisfaction as he exited the main building; heading towards the Emperor's bathing pools.

Yui-sama had informed him of her plans to bathe this night and he ordered her attendants to escort and protect her on pain of death. It would not do for him to have come this far and have his wish-granter die before the grand finale. After all, she had promised him the last wish.

He turned into the private bathing area when he heard it. A female's faint cry pierced the otherwise silent night. Fully alert, Nakago extended his senses to envelop the area and froze. Instead of feeling Yui-sama's chi, he felt a void: an empty space blending into the environment's aura. It was the effect of a shield, a powerful one, that only a person as skilled and powerful as himself would be able to sense at all. He began his covert approach, shielding his own chi while walking swiftly and silently through the shadows cast by the trees, columns, and awnings of the bathing area against the full moon. As he got to full view of the entrance to the pool, he stilled at the sight before him.

_'Impossible.'_

In front of him was a faint lilac bubble surrounding two figures, one of them none other than himself. His double was naked, moving forcefully against the female beneath him, both deep within sexual intercourse. As he took in the strange sight, his skin prickled as the power contained somehow washed over him, drawing him in. His double then bent his head down to kiss the woman, what he believed to be the 'shin' symbol glowing through the blonde bangs covering his forehead. He could hear everything perfectly, however, something was building inside of him, he couldn't pinpoint it. The woman's deep moans blended into high-pitched keening that made the spine tingles go all the way to the base of his skull, making Nakago growl.

"Ayuru-anata, now!" she called out, her head thrown back as her body arched towards her lover. Nakago stiffened in shock. The surprise of hearing that name after so long was overshadowed by the discovery of she who was bedding his other self.

_'Her voice, her face, her power!' _The female was none other than Miaka, the Priestess of Suzaku. However, this was not the fifteen year old girl he knew who ran around with her rag tag group of Suzaku warriors. No. This was a woman grown, this was–

_This is who she will be. _The thought invaded his mind, his own voice, yet not his.

"Shhh, I am here." Ayuru chuckled softly. "You feel so good, koibito…" he breathed into her ear, making her shiver and mewl. Suddenly, the male lifted his head and looked directly at him. Nakago's eyes widened in disbelief. It wasn't the 'shin' symbol he saw, it was Seiryuu's symbol and the eyes of his double were filled with immeasurable power.

_'Gods? Seiryuu? Suzaku?'_

_She will be everything. _And then Nakago understood.

Ayuru smirks evilly at him and Nakago fell to his knees, bracing his hands on the ground as agonizing pleasure coursed through his body, incapacitating him. A familiar yet foreign presence slammed into his consciousness, dampening his senses until sight bled to white.

Nakago came to suddenly, his nerves screaming at him, his last thoughts echoing in his mind.

_'Gods? No. You now know. Yet you will forget, for now. Now, open your eyes to eternity!' _The voice commanded, the presence blending with him, forming what felt to Nakago like a new body. He opened his eyes at the command, and was face to face with her, Suzaku's Priestess. She smiled.

_Miaka, beloved._ Part of his mind, him yet not him, emphasized.

_'My Miaka..' _The other part acknowledged. His eyes followed the lines of her face, beautifully shaped and grown, highlighted by hazel eyes turned gold in ecstasy, innocent yet so knowing, tempting him with her mouth on him. He gasped.

The pleasure that had tantalized his senses while outside the shield had now flooded his body in full force, drawing his deepest responses. He felt Miaka's body beneath him as he took in her every expression. Her tight scorching wetness surrounded him in ecstasy, feeling as if she were drawing his soul out from him, her soft and shapely extremities moving with him, against him, clinging to him, adding to the mounting pleasure. Her mouth travelled teasingly up his neck to his mouth, emotion filling what was once his empty soul. A bond tied him to this woman, his mate, who had claimed him as thoroughly he claimed her. She was who he belonged to, who he was destined for; she who would make all the pain he suffered worthwhile.

He then rose to his knees, her legs wrapping fully around his hips, and he took in her beautiful body, his hands following his hungry eyes. Her full breasts moved fetchingly against his body's thrusts, her small waist curving into strong hips that welcomed every thrust of his. He gripped them as he teased her slowly. He couldn't help but think that she was definitely not as she had been in Hokkan. She whimpered at his teasing, and he smiled, stopping completely.

"Anata?" she called to him, worry coloring her voice. He smiled and drew down, his left hand bracing his weight by her head while his right hand traveled up her neck to the back of her head and drew her into a passionate kiss. As he drew back, his fingers combed her hair and drew her sweaty bangs away from her forehead. His hand faltered as the bright red symbol of Suzaku on her forehead was revealed.

"It can't be." He whispered his eyes wide.

_It will be_ the other part of him said.

"It is, Ayuru. One day, you will see." Miaka whispered to him as she took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply.

"Now, please, my Ayuru, my Nakago I need you." Miaka's voice rang with longing as she moved against him, drawing him back to her. Nakago, Ayuru, her husband, her mate, smiled down at her.

"As my beloved commands."

_As my beloved commands._

_'Soon, soon, you will see. Destiny foretold will come to be and your future will truly begin. Soon, lover, soon.'_

_'Soon!' _

Nakago woke up suddenly, sitting up as he tried to clear his head. He tried remembering the words from his dream, but the harder he tried, the more they slipped away, until all that he could remember was the last one. He recalled having been somewhere else. Water? Fire? He looked around, noting that he was on his bed, in his rooms within the Kutou Imperial Palace. His armor was placed in the usual place, neatly organized, and he was wearing his sleeping robe.

He knew something had happened to him the night before, but it had faded from his mind as well, the harder he tried to recall, the further away the memories slipped. However, he felt different. His body felt fully satiated and relaxed while his mind felt calm and at peace. Disquieting as it was, he savored the feeling for he knew it would not last. After all, he had work to do. The word flashed in his mind again, like a promise from a forgotten past making itself known close to its intended time. There was a feeling of rightness that cemented his plans and centered him to the events to come. What would happen, would happen as it should, as it was meant to be. He had some wheels to start turning. The end was near and his time was coming.

"Soon."

"Did the spell work?" a male voice asked, his brow furrowed in worry.

The woman just smiled at him lovingly while cradling her belly protectively.

"Checkmate."

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed it! I was going over it so much, I decided to heck with it and post. This is sort of the follow-up piece to Let the Future Begin, which I have fixed up a bit. I made this the second chapter to have both pieces together. However, Let the Future Begin is the prequel to my soon to be posted multi-chapter fic 'To Err is Human' while this chapter is more of a foreshadowing of its sequel 'To Forgive is Divine'. Word of caution: lots of drama, sadness and angst to come. I am not like the talented authors Alcestis or Evil Nel, but I will do my best to make them good. Reviews and critiques are welcome with open arms, follows and faves are appreciated.**


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